Release data: Beyond Berlin – Meandering TearCD/Digital Download, Groove Unlimited, 2025 Too often, I have the feeling I’m rather late in reviewing certain albums that have been sitting on the ever-existing stack of music. With their previous releases, Beyond Berlin has shown they are something special in the electronic music scene and celebrate the Berlin School style in particular.…
Release data: Mark Dwane – The Atlantis Factor CD/Digital Download, Orbian Music, 1993 Like Mark’s other releases, this one is immediately recognizable as a Mark Dwane recording, as the smooth melodic, cinematic pads and nice groovy lines are all over the place. The 44-minute/9-track “The Atlantis Factor” opens up another chapter of symphonic and sci-fi inspired electronica using electric guitar…
Release data: Robert Fox – A Gathering of Spirits CD/Digital Download, Fx Music, 1995 The music on Mr. Fox’s fourth release is based on Robert’s time spent in Canada and legends of the Canadian Indians. I can be brief about the nearly 80-minute “A Gathering of Spirits”, as the outcome features the composer’s recognisable musical style of symphonic-angled synth pads…
Release data: Zodiac – Forest ImpressionsCD/Digital Download, Private Release, 2024 In the past, the duo Frans Ramakers and Ruud Grothausen released some very nice melodic electronic music, most of which saw the light of day on cassette, aside from one CD in 1995. The project’s goal back then (complex but still remaining very accessible) still shines through on the…
Release data: Brennan Lane & Billy Denk – Celestial Lullaby Digital Download, Wayfarer Records, 2025 What I have here is a quite interesting collaboration between EM veteran Brannan Lane and musician/producer Billy Denk. They present a 50-minute cosmic courier, addressing a lighter type of space music, pairing soft, sparkling sequences with sweeping, melodic, and spiced textural pads, occasionally dressed with…
Release data: Mark Dwane – Angels, Aliens & Archetypes CD/Mc/Digital Download, Orbian Music, 1991 The recent passing of composer Mark Dwane on July 24, 2025, made me revisit his album “Angels, Aliens and Archetypes”. During his career, Mr. Dwane created virtually all of his music using his guitar synthesizer setup, without the use of any synthesizers, and the result on…
Release data: Darshan – Autumn LightCD-r/Digital Download, Darshan Music, 2000 Michael Allison’s “Autumn Light” is a release which, like its predecessors, offers a collection of overtly soothing, introspective electronic miniatures. It’s attentively designed floating music with little dynamics in which stillness, compassion, and serenity lie at the core and clearly shine through. The title track seems to offer a tad…
Release data: Darshan – Providence CD-r/Digital Download, Darshan Music, 2002 Due to its simple, calming beauty, Darshan’s early music is easily one of my favorites to return to frequently. The compelling “Providence”, originally released through Zero Music/AtmoWorks back in the day, sparkles that beauty as well through warm, contemplative waves of sound. It taps into a pool of sweet nostalgia…
Release data: Constance Demby – Sacred Space Music CD/Mc, Hearts of Space, 1982/1988 “Sacred Space Music”, the predecessor to Constance Demby’s acclaimed masterwork “Novus Magnificat”, surrounds and immerses its listeners in a comfortable sonic bath of soothing, serene melodies and ethereal, almost otherworldly ambiances. Same as Constance’s other recordings, its sole spiritual intention is to inspire, uplift, and heal. No electronics are…
Release data: David Anthony Clark – Terra Inhabitata CD/Mc/Digital Download, White Cloud Records, 1993 “Terra Inhabitata” is the debut album by New Zealander David Anthony Clark, who seems to draw a lot of musical inspiration from his numerous tours of our globe, taking a particular interest in the history and music of ancient cultures. His musical style (David himself calls…
Release data: Create – From Earth to Mars CD/Digital Download, Groove Unlimited, 2005 The contemporary electronic music of Create’s second album, “From Earth to Mars was created with the aid of the software program Reason in the composer’s private studio between March and May of 2004. It resulted in an outcome still rooted in the sequencer domain and Berlin School…
Release data: Robert Carty – Midnight Rainbows CD/Digital Download, Deep Sky Music, 2001 Here’s another beautifully crafted album in the long line of atmospheric ambient music that American Robert Carty already has to his name. “Midnight Rainbows” is a subdued album of some 67 minutes, divided into eight longer tracks that again can be categorised in the genre of strongly…
Release data: Darshan – The End of DaysCD-r/Digital Download, Darshan Music, 1999 I seem to be one of the lucky ones who owns a physical copy of this album by Oakland-based composer Michael Allison, aka Darshan. In 1999, this private release recording became part of the distribution roster of James Johnson’s own Zero Music label. “The End of Days”…
Release data: Robert Rich – Inner Landscapes CD/Digital Download, Hypnos Recordings, 1999 This recording is a kind of re-release of the eponymous older cassette album from Rich’s early days, 1988 to be exact, during which Robert gave his glorious “sleep concerts”. From more than two hours of material, Robert has filtered, lightly reworked, and remastered the strongest passages, resulting in…
Release data: Redshift – Halo CD/Digital Download, Distant Sun, 2002 “Halo” is an entirely studio-based recording performed solely by Mark Shreeve that, compared to “Siren”, is significantly more subdued in character. This time around, Redshift’s music reveals more melancholic as well as darker sensibilities. Nevertheless, it contains equally fine compositions with the same vintage sounds. Once again, Mr. Shreeve succeeds…
Release data: Redshift – Siren CD/Digital Download, Distant Sun, 2002 Redshift’s “Siren” came out simultaneously with “Halo”, both were presented at The Hampshire Jam 2. It includes an hour-long rendition of their splashy concert that Mark Shreeve & co put down during their performance at the 6th Alpha Centauri festival in April ’99, where Mark’s massive Moog modular synthesizer was…
Release data: Deepspace – The Architecture of FlowersDigital Download, Private Release, 2023 The ambient journeys created by Mirko Ruckels, aka Deepspace, have always possessed a special touch, something that one could pinpoint as both spellbinding and riding the surreal edge. The lengthy ‘The Architecture of Flowers” features a total of 19 tracks of breath-like washes of sound, a 1 hour…
Release data: Biosphere – The Way of Time CD/LP/Digital Download, AD 93, 2025 Geir Jenssen’s concept album “The Way of Time” is a glacial, stark, and minimal ambient work exploring sonic stillness and decay made with vintage synthesizers. Moreover, the 41-minute recording, like Biosphere’s recent albums, rejects melody in favour of tone space and mood. The outcome draws loose inspiration…
Release data: Otarion – Time of NationsCD/Digital Download, Groove Unlimited, 2025 The accessible music of Reiner Klein has been on my radar since he started releasing music through the -now sadly defunct- MellowJet label. Somehow, he also belongs to the league of musicians many haven’t heard of, which is a pity. The 76-minute “Time of Nations” sounds powerful, emotive, and…
Release data: TiRa The Art of Dance – Time Travel CD/Digital Download, Groove Unlimited, 2025 I have a preference for instrumental electronic music, so I had my reservations for this album, on which Ralf Gülpen introduces the (wordless) vocals of Misi Wainwright (spherically interwoven with the instrumentation on four tracks) as well as a saxophone player on the final piece…
Release data: Klangwelt – Second Nature CD/Digital Download, Spheric Music, 2025 Klangwelt’s music has always sounded very well mixed and produced, and the outcome on Mr Arend’s sixth album “Second Nature” -another exploration into the broad field of contemporary, melodic synthesizer music- is no exception. Along traditional sequencing and melodic lines, many vocal samples and rocking elements are scattered over…
Release data: Stefan Erbe – Metamorphosys CD/Digital Download, Private Release, 2025 Stefan Erbe’s music is known for its solidity, quality, and accessibility. And “Metamorphosys”, Stefan’s third multimedia story about his artificial intelligence GENE, is no exception to that. Melodic, hi-tech electronics are served on the 12-track outcome in typical “Erbe-style”, an attractive assemblage of sequences, soft soaring melodic lines and…
Release data: Coco Francavilla – Re-OceaningDIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2025 “Re-oceaning” by Ibiza-based composer, sound engineer, and ocean advocate Coco Francavilla began as both an inner journey and a global call to action, challenging us to reimagine ocean conservation through sound, empathy, and presence. In the creative process, hydrophone recordings of marine life were used and melted with ambient-electronic soundscapes…
Release data: Brian Eno & Beatie Wolfe – Lateral LP/CD, Verve Records, 2025 Those fond of Brian Eno’s ambient longform work will eagerly want to hear “Luminal”, a release the ambient master created with conceptual artist Beatie Wolfe that centres around the concept of “art and feelings”. The 64-minute release features one track, “Big Empty Country”, an eight-part ambient movement…
Release data: Altus – Terraform Digital Download, Private Release, 2025 Mike Carss writes to “Terraform”, it is the completion of the “Pioneer” trilogy, continuing Altus’ journey into the immense cosmic outdoors, where the outcome acts as a soundtrack for explorers of a new planet beyond our solar system. That 53-minute, 8-track result turns out to be highly accessible, sequenced, and…
Release data: Perge – A Fleeting Abstraction of an Evocation in Cryosleep CD/Digital Download, Private Release, 2025 Mr. Stringer pinpoints the outcome, consisting of two lengthy parts, as a return to the more primordial era of the Berlin School. Once again, the sound and atmosphere of TD’s early and mid-’70s work is embedded firmly in the core of the music,…
Release data: Martin Stürtzer – Nexus-6Digital Download, Echo Elberfeld, 2025 Over the years, various musicians have taken their own take on Vangelis’ classic Blade Runner score. This also applies to Martin Stürtzer’s “Nexus-6”, a 58-minute travelogue recorded by the artist in August 2022. It takes the listener into a smooth evolving dystopian sound world submerged in eternal rain and…
Release data: Kurtz Mindfields – Timeless Winds Digital Download, Private Release, 2022 As an accomplished synthesist, Jean-Luc Briançon loves to dig into the sonic possibilities of newly built and developed electronic instruments. For “Timeless Winds”, he chose to compose classic synth music in the tradition Jarre, Schulze and Wendy Carlos, sticking to the SynthR4 and SynthR3 Paraphonic semi-modulars, delivering a…
Release data: Mikkel Rev – Journey Beyond Digital Download, A Strangely Isolated Place, 2025 “Journey Beyond” is the follow-up album to Mikkel Haraldstad’s release “The Art of Levitation”, offering an outcome dwelling in chillout/psybient downtempo space. The latter -created from an extensive set of tracks that were initially sequenced as two shorter eps and now reworked by progressing through the…
Release data: Martin Stürtzer & S1gns of L1fe – Black OceanDigital Download, Private Release, 2025 “Black Ocean” is the 35-minute outcome of Chris Bryant’s visit to Wuppertal in March 2025, seeing both accomplished musicians create a deep, immersive space ambient live-set by applying Martin’s entire assortment of hardware synthesizers. As Martin recalls, it was a first take after they programmed…
Release data: Brendan Pollard – Strands CD/Digital Download, Acoustic Wave Records, 2025 From start to finish, Mr. Pollard’s vibrant album “Strands” is a visit to his old sequencing days to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his label Acoustic Wave Records. It’s also a(nother) labour of love for pure vintage electronics made with classic hardware synths only. On top of that,…
Release data: Brainwork – Behind the Sun CD-r, Cue Records, 2022 On this 60-minute release, we hear Uwe Saher turn up the gentle, easy listening road, already paying tribute to Andreas Vollenweider and his “Behind the Gardens…” album on the opening piece with some smooth synthetic harp sounds and smooth rhythms. The remaining seven synthetic harp and flute sounds float…
Release data: The Roswell Incident – Trapped Part TwoCD/Digital Download, Groove Unlimited, 2025 There’s been quite a gap between the concluding part and the first one of this concept release that came out in 2019. I presume plans and stuff were messed on due the Covid-19 pandemic, of which the aftermath is still felt until today. In “Trapped part II”,…
Release data: Erik Wøllo – Silent Currents 4 (Star’s End 2015)CD/Digital Download, Projekt Records, 2016 While the music on previous releases with the name title was very present, the outcome on “SC4” (capturing Erik’s live performance at the late-night Star’s End radio show on WXPN in October 2025) is of a calm, dreamy, and overall gentle nature. The 60-minute longform…
Release data: TiRa The Art of Dance – The 4 Elements: Fire & Earth CD/Digital Download, Groove Unlimited, 2024 This release comes in the same audio format as “The 4 Elements: Water & Air” and also has the exact same playing time (75.04). Again, listeners are invited into an aural landscape of smooth evolving mood music sketching out warm ambient…
Release data: Antike Elektronische Music – Signal Digital Download, AEM Music, 2024 Attractive and infectious sets of 80-style TD sequencing and sounds are served on “Signal,” a new album by French synthesist Frédéric Würtz. The album is also the first sign of life for Mr. Würtz, who composed and released music since 1980 under the AEM moniker as well as…
Release data: Ice Planet 9000 – The Nebula Suite CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2025 The project Ice Planet 9000, formed in 2018, is the brainchild of Brent Zius and Karl Learmont. They pinpoint their music as “defying genre boundaries, blending elements of active dark ambient and classic Berlin School”, weaving intricate sonic landscapes using a mix of modern and vintage…
Release data: Numina – Zen Zone BiomeDigital Download, Private Release, 2025 With “Zen Zone Biome”, composer Jesse Sola transports his listeners into an aural world of minimalist deep-space ambient, a collection of tracks composed for Pi Day 2025. A continuous stream of gentle soaring and spiraling textural waves unfolds slowly on each of the eight quiet, atmospheric pieces, as we…
Release data: ASC & Sam KDC – Decayed SocietyLP/CD-r/Digital Download, Auxiliary, 2012 “Decayed Society” is a work of haunting, elegy-like ambient by Samuel Wood (aka Sam KDC) and James Clements (aka ASC) that’s “loosely based around the events of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster”, a theme that easily could have led to a rather bleak, bland and rather oppressive…
Release data: Lapsed Pacifist – HypatiaLP/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, A Strangely Isolated Place, 2024 Ambient music comes in many forms and can be a real challenge to listen to when it features opposing atmospheres addressed on the same album. For me, this is the case on “Hypatia” (a reference to one of the many fantastical descriptions of imaginary places by Marco Polo…
Release data: Deborah Martin & Jill Haley – Into the QuietCD/Digital Download, Spotted Peccary Music, 2023 “Into the Quiet”, the second collaborative project between multi-instrumentalists Deborah Martin and Jill Haley, is an ambient recording exploring (and delving into) expansive spaces while leaving the pressure cooker of the nowadays world far behind. It actually plunges into the inner realms of human…
Release data: HERE – A Quiet Unease Mc/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Slowcraft, 2025 HERE is London-based producer Simon Vince and composer James Murray, offering seven pieces of bittersweet atmospheric, electro-acoustic ambient underscored by an elegant disquiet current on their EP “A Quiet Unease”. A blend of calm and intrigue hovers over and is found inside these drifting melodic strands, choral echoes, and…
Release data: Subclavian – II Digital Download, Private Release, 2025 The composer’s urge to create some sequencer-based music continues on this album, although this time Mr Thompson decided to give the tracks a subtitle, as he just felt they needed it. In addition, all the music was created with hardware synths, so not a mixture of hardware and software like…
Release data: Vanderson – Return to Conciousness Digital Download, Private Release, 2018 If you’re in search of some tasty, melodic, happy sequenced electronic music, you can’t go wrong with Maciej Wierzchowski’s music, better known as Vanderson. In my opinion, this recording is preferable to “Sequenced Thoughts” that came out that same year as a factory-pressed CD, mainly due to the…
Release data: Phelios – Passage CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2006/2011 Phelios’ second album “Passage” is a gloomy, dark ambient work by Martin Stürtzer that initially came out on a diy cd-r. In 2011, it was re-released as a proper CD. It features the carefully remastered original material, as well as two previously unreleased tracks (both recorded shortly after the 2006…
Release data: Martin Stürtzer – Celestial Tides Digital Download, Private Release, 2024 Since I ran into the thoughtfully made music of this skilled German musician many years back, I enjoy most of it -except his dub-oriented stuff. Four lengthy tracks make up Mr. Stürtzer’s album “Celestial Tides”, a 68-minute cosmic reverie of assorted sequences and lush floating pads, all unfolding…
Release data: ASC – Tales of IntrospectionCD/Digital Download, Quiet Details, 2025 What I have here is another work of lush, in-depth ambient music at its finest, featuring a vast, highly emotive sound design that can ease and/or elevate the busy or troubled mind. An ethereal thread along a sense of bliss and the infinite is clearly present throughout the…
Release data: Interstellar Data Unit – Crossing the Heliosphere Digital Download, Wayfarer Music Group, 2025 Interstellar Data Unit (whose wish is to expand the imagination of humanity) is space ambient exploring our solar system and beyond. It was all created by a skilled musician who prefers to stay anonymous for the time being. The project was actually born out of…
Release data: Sequentia Legenda – DecemCD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Private Release, 2024 Laurent Schieber describes “Decem” as a jubilee release, celebrating 10 years of artistic and spiritual evolution in capturing the essence of the Berlin School. That can be, but for me, this three-track recording doesn’t bring anything new to the table: this time around, the composer loses himself in a too-lengthy…
Release data: Londeward – Gossamer Wings of Illusion Digital Download, Private Release, 2025 In the last few years, Mike Carss’ music (released through various aliases) has seen more emotional depth aside a stronger sonic narrative or cinematic impact. The 57-minute “Gossamer Wings of Illusion” -exploring the complex world of the mind and how each of us view our existence- is…
Release data: Xan Alexander – Ouroboros IICD/Digital Download, OtherSide, 2025 British synthesist Xan Alexander may be known to some as a member of The Omega Syndicate. He was also part of Magnetron (next to Stephen Humphries) and The Grey Encounter (with Phil Booth). Aside from that he also released a range of solo albums along the way. This recording…
Release data: Robert Schroeder – Observer CD, Spheric Music, 2024 Let me be clear about this recording: there’s nothing surprising nor exciting about the outcome making up Mr. Schroeder’s “Observer”, his 46th regular release if I’m not mistaken. The 10-track, 66-minute release is a work of ambient chill-out electronica featuring Robert’s known sonic footprints and characteristics. Some pieces are more…
Release data: Lauge & Aes Dana – Terrene LP/CD/Digital Download, Ultimae Records, 2022 It has been quite a while since I reviewed a release from the French Ultimae label but I’m happy to present another nice one, this time created by Henrik Lagesen (aka Lauge) and label owner Vincent Villius (aka Aes Dana). “Terrene” (a daedal story taking one on…
Release data: ASC & Sam KDC – Surfacing LP/Digital Download, Auxilliary, 2024 Several years back these two musicians already impressed me with their well-done “A Restless Mind”, which now sees a continuation through the introspective ambient recording “Surfacing”. The six-track, 37-minute release offers an un-rushed approach with its highly emotive, somber soundscapes merged with slices of melancholic drones and hints…
Release data: Liquid Mind – XV: In the Love CD/Digital Download, Private Release, 2025 Calming New Age music for stress relief, meditation, pre-sleep, emptying your mind, and slowing down in fast, hectic times continues to be featured on the releases from sleep and relaxation music composer Chuck Wild. Still it sticks to a practical, simplistic, and functional sonic approach as…
Release data: Craig Padilla – The Pulse of LifeCD/Digital Download, OtherSide, 2025 For a while Mr. Padilla had the idea to put out an album to pay tribute to George Mattson and his contributions and inventions to the synthesizer community since the ‘70s.”. Therefore, Craig limited himself to using modular synths only that Mr. Mattson built to creating the…
Release data: Phobos – Shrouded Digital Download, Private Release, 2025 Like its predecessor, “Tholus”, this release consists of two 30-minute live-in-studio recordings created for UK Morphic Resonance events (improvised synthesizer concerts) at Halloween (episode 54) and Christmas specials (episode 57) in 2024. Soaring, expansive textures wandering into the dark, deep end are served from the start, painting quite haunting, surreal,…
Release data: TiRa The Art of Dance – Endless Ambient Part 3CD/DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, Groove Unlimited, 2024 It seems to me that Ralf Gülpen has further smoothened the overall sound design for the music that makes up part 3 in the series. Just listen and immerse in the first four tracks all featuring moody, airy, free-floating soundscapes that almost feel like…
Release data: TiRa The Art of Dance – The 4 Elements: Water & AirCD/Digital Download, Groove Unlimited, 2024 After three releases, German synthesist Ralf Gülpen takes a bigger approach releasing two double albums simultaneously, each focusing on one of the four elements. All consist of 8 parts that flow smoothly into each other and have exactly the same playing time…
Release data: Abstract Rituals – II CD/Digital Download, Private Release, 2025 What I got here is another release drawing inspiration from the early pioneers of electronic music, and sequenced Berlin School in particular. The person behind Abstract Rituals is Mike Donzella, an American electronic music composer who’s now based in Tokyo, Japan. Moreover, Mr. Donzella points out the 12-track contemporary…